


5 Times Gray Saw Natsu Naked

by orphan_account



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: M/M, Yaoi, drink every time I say the word "naked"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 12:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5205722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a tale of Gray's crush on Natsu, and five times he saw the very modest Dragon Slayer au naturale</p>
            </blockquote>





	5 Times Gray Saw Natsu Naked

**Author's Note:**

> Because I'm always a slut for Natsu with his clothes off and no other reason
    
    
    **The First One**  
    
    As the sun started to set over Magnolia, 12-year-old Gray Fullbuster strolled along the grassy path by the river. This river was his most common retreat when his introversion started acting up, ever since he joined Fairy Tail. It had that kind of allure to it, it seemed, as this was where he had found Erza, crying alone, a few years ago, and now, it appeared, Gray noticed, it had attracted another guest. The first indication was the ripples starting to form on the surface of the water. The second, Gray registered with a pang of irritation, was a familiar white scarf, and some other clothes hung over a bush.   
    
    Right as his thoughts reached conclusion, the subject of them emerged from the river. The wild dragon boy, Natsu, that had joined Gray's guild recently, climbed out, naked, and lay down onto the warm and dry grass, not opening his eyes, looking relaxed. Gray felt the familiar urge to punch the new kid he had gotten off to such a rough start with, but it faded upon seeing the younger boy looking so peaceful, and Gray decided to at least start out with a conversation.   
    
    "Yo, Natsu."  
    
    The supposed dragon child darted up, and upon seeing Gray, flushed red and scrambled behind the bush holding his clothes in a panic.   
    
    "I'm sorry! I didn't know anyone would be here, I needed a bath and-"  
    
    "A bath? Here?" Gray cut across him in surprise. Natsu being so timid was odd enough, but bathing in a river? "Don't you have a shower?"   
    
    "I've always bathed in rivers," Natsu replied quietly, and Gray noticed him struggling to stay concealed by the small shrubbery, while trying in vain to reach his pants with a small outstretched arm. Gray sighed slightly, grabbing the smaller boy's pants and then, respectfully looking away, handed them to him over the bush. Natsu hurriedly pulled them on.   
    
    "You know, it's okay if another guy sees you naked, especially your guildmate. I'm not gonna make fun of you."  
    
    "Maybe it's okay for a pervert like you," Natsu snapped, adjusting his scarf and walking into view fully clothed. "But I don't like people seeing me naked."  
    
    "Who're you calling a pervert?" Gray growled.   
    
    "Look down."  
    
    When Gray did, he found a very familiar penis in his view. Dammit, when did he lose his boxers?  
    
    "Whatever, I'm just not ashamed of my body."  
    
    "Neither am I!" Natsu protested.   
    
    "Well duh, you're cute," Gray said nonchalantly with a wave of his hand. Natsu stared at him, a pink that matched his hair dusting his cheeks.   
    
    _Fuck_.   
    
    _Why did I call Natsu cute? Was Natsu cute? No he was annoying... Can you be both?_  
    
    "Cute?" Natsu finally questioned.   
    
    "Yeah, like a baby, can't take care of yourself," Gray said quickly, covering his tracks.   
    
    "Stupid stripper!" Natsu screamed, suddenly jumping Gray, who breathed a sigh of relief. Fighting, he could deal with. It was feelings that freaked him out.   
    
      
    
    **The One With the Hormones**  
    
    14-year-old Gray Fullbuster walked the now well defined path through the forest that led to Natsu and Happy's cottage. Erza was coming back from a mission, and if Natsu and Gray weren't at the guild or on a job when she returned, they'd receive the "Slacking Off" Lecture. So Gray, deciding to be a good friend, had went to get Natsu. The two had gotten along slightly better lately, banding together in the face of puberty, defending one another from teasing about their breaking voices and awful developing facial hair. They still fought often, but it was evolving from spite to habit at this point.  
    
    Gray knocked on Natsu's door, and received the muffled "Aye!" that meant Happy was home. Letting himself in, he waved to the small blue cat, nibbling a salmon in his hammock, the only part of the room safe from Natsu's mess of keepsakes.   
    
    "Hey Happy. The knucklehead around?"  
    
    "Aye!" Natsu and Lisanna's surrogate son replied, cheerful as ever. "Natsu's in the shower."  
    
    Natsu being introduced to showers was Gray's first gift to him, and he still took credit for the Dragon Slayer's love of them. Sure enough, upon listening, Gray heard running water and a slightly drowned out verse of Natsu's favourite song, "Snow Fairy".  
    
    Gray sat down next to Happy, figuring he could just wait for Natsu. "So how are things at Chez Dragneel? Heard you guys got an Igneel lead the other day."  
    
    "It was another blizzvern, not a dragon," Happy informed him sadly, cuddling his fish for comfort. "I'm starting to worry that I'll never meet Igneel."  
    
    Gray gave him a reassuring pat on the head. "Don't worry, Natsu's too stubborn to not find Igneel, you'll get to meet him someday. In the meantime, I'd say you just work on keeping Fire Breath out of trouble, and things'll work out in the end, right?"  
    
    Before Happy could reply, no doubt with his trademark "Aye sir", the son of Igneel graced them with his freshly showered presence. Like, _extremely_ fresh.   
    
    On the upside, he was wearing a towel.   
    
    On the downside, it was over his shoulders.   
    
    Natsu looked at Gray.   
    
    Gray looked at Natsu.   
    
    Natsu was looking at Gray's eyes.   
    
    Gray was not looking at Natsu's.  
    
    _Mock him, laugh, something!_ the little Grays in his head cried frantically. _Just for the love of Magic God, hoe do not-_  
    
    Gray blushed.  
    
    _Oh my god._  
    
    "GRAY FOR FUCK'S SAKE! YOU _AGAIN_? IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" Natsu roared, diving behind his couch, before peeking over the top like an angry mole. "Can't you knock?!"  
    
    Gray should have answered. _Words would probably have been a good idea. Do I know any words? I seem to be capable of forming "Natsu is hot" but nothing else really jumps out at me,_ Gray mused, thoughts fizzled, before realising what his hormones were doing to his reaction to this.   
    
    _Oh, not this, Puberty, not a crush on Natsu, Puberty I thought we were bros you didn't even give me acne, Puberty do not make me have a crush on Natsu Dragneel._  
    
    "He did knock," Happy supplied, oblivious to Natsu's embarrassment and to Gray's inner meltdown. "I let him in."  
    
    Natsu sighed, standing up fully, but to Gray's totally-not-disappointment, the back of the couch covered him from the waist down. "So what do you want Gray?"  
    
    _Tell him you want his ass_ , Gray's brain suggested.   
    
    _Why would I do this_ , Gray's brain asked, fairly.   
    
    _You gotta_ , Gray's brain answered firmly.   
    
    _He has a point_ , Gray's boner agreed.   
    
    _You're here to bring him to the guild,_ the part of Gray's brain that spoke with Erza's voice reminded him.   
    
    "Um, Erza's almost back, so uh, come out with me."  
    
    _Come out with me?!_ Gray's brain cried in indignation. _Did we just invite him to exit the closet with us?_  
    
    _I thought it was a clever double entendre_ , Gray's brain remarked.   
    
    Natsu seemed satisfied with this answer. "Okay, I'll be out in a second, now fuck off while I put on my pants."  
    
    _THIS IS MY SHOT_ , Lusty Gray decided, taking the wheel.   
    
    _DON'T BE A HERO_ , Gray's brain roared desperately.   
    
    "Why bother? I think you look fine this way."  
    
    _It's too late, he's gone_ , Gray's brain mourned, closing the eyes of Gray's self respect.  
    
    Natsu raised an eyebrow, before laughing. "Sorry Gray, we can't wear the same outfit in public, it's a fashion faux pas."  
    
    "But I'm not- Dammit!" Gray groaned. Where the fuck did his clothes even go? Were they secret agents? Did they abandon him to fight crime?  
    
    "Gray?"  
    
    "Yeah?"  
    
    "You wear it better," Natsu said with a wink, before wrapping his towel around his waist and walking away to his bedroom. Gray stood flabbergasted.   
    
    Happy looked at Gray with a grin.  
    
    "You _liiiike_ -"  
    
    "Don't finish that sentence and I'll buy you a fish."  
    
      
    
    **The Morally Wrong One**    
    
    "Figures the girls get a better room," 18-year-old Gray Fullbuster complains, arriving with his luggage in he and Natsu's room at the onsen that Team Natsu was staying in after a long ass walk before their train departed for the mission area tomorrow. Lucy and Erza had gotten a very nice room, complete with en suite and beds, and Natsu and Gray received serveral planks of wood and two futons. Even Happy had deserted Gray for the girls' room, and Natsu had ditched them all upon seeing a bar serving flaming alcohol. _Flame-Brain probably drank himself to death by now,_ Gray thought sleepily, so tired he didn't even strip out of his yukata, simply climbing into his futon and nodding off.   
    
    Natsu, as it turned out, was not quite dead.   
    
    Gray awoke to a strange weight on top of his futon, and upon groggily catching the scent of alcohol, he opened his eyes to find Natsu Dragneel straddling him over the cover of his futon, looking down at him in what seemed to be concentration.   
    
    Gray gulped slightly at the strange situation, and the fact that Natsu's yukata had slipped off one shoulder. Natsu's chest was so close yet so far.   
    
    _And so nice,_ the part of Gray that was still hung up on Natsu commented snidely.  
    
    The drunk spoke. "You're not naked."  
    
    Was Natsu... disappointed?  
    
    "Uh, nope," Gray replied, brain gone numb.   
    
    Natsu nodded a little, before moving off of Gray. Gray chose to ignore that he missed the weight of the other boy, but didn't have time to ponder it as Natsu unzipped Gray's futon and threw the cover off the Ice Mage.  
    
    "I wanna sleep with you tonight," Natsu said simply, but enough unlike himself that the drunkeness was still evident. So, despite his entire body yearning to just accept the strange offer without question, Gray sat up and placed a hand on each of Natsu's shoulders, ignoring the pleasant smoothness of the bare one (or at least, trying to).  
    
    "Natsu, you're drunk. You can't decide things like- hey!" Gray stopped as Natsu had suddenly pulled at the string tying Gray's yukata closed.   
    
    "Be _nakeeeeeed,_ " Natsu whined, so, _so_ temptingly.   
    
    Gray desperately tried to sort his thoughts. So Drunk Natsu was into him. That should mean Sober Natsu was into him, right? Which was good because _ohmygod I'm still totally in love with you Natsu, why are you doing this to me?_  
    
    "Your yukata," Gray said in a weak distraction, pointing at the slipped off shoulder.   
    
    "Hmm? Oh good point!" Natsu beamed with ridiculous vigour.   
    
    Unfortunately, things only got harder for Gray in quite a few ways. Natsu apparently took the observation of the bare shoulder as evidence that the yukata was defective, and he threw it off with a relieved sigh. Gray's eyes burned, in the good way, that Naked Natsu had provided once before. The burning that meant _Take in this image, it's the best thing you'll ever see._  
    
    Gray was breathing heavily now, his lust and his moral compass at war, but as he stared at the devilishly smiling and obviously very hard (and making no effort to hide it) Natsu, he was brought back to reality by a simple fact.   
    
    Natsu was enjoying being looked at it.   
    
    _When Natsu is thinking straight, he avoids being seen naked at all costs_.   
    
    This wasn't Natsu. Not the Natsu that Gray wanted to be in this situation with.  
    
    With this realisation, Gray firmly grabbed Natsu's wrists, as the drunk had been again attempting to undress Gray.   
    
    "Aww, come on Gray, the first time I actually want you to strip," Drunk Natsu pouted, before giggling. "Well, not the _first_ time."  
    
    Gray's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"  
    
    Natsu grinned lazily. "I _looooove_ when you strip. You're _soooooo_ hot," he purred, again leaning into Gray who, caught off guard by this revelation, allowed his yukata to be opened, and Natsu howled triumphantly, before hopping onto the now perfectly naked Gray.   
    
    Gray squirmed under the presence he didn't want to want. _Natsu is drunk_ , he reminded himself, _this isn't right_. But despite himself, Gray moaned at the sudden pressure of Natsu's erection pressing against his own.   
    
    Before the situation could escalate, in his first stroke of luck that night, Gray saw Natsu collapse on top of him, finally coming down from his drunken high, and falling into a deep sleep suddenly. But that only slightly alleviated Gray's problem. Natsu lay atop him, naked, vulnerable, _hot as hell_. Gray was still painfully hard, and could feel Natsu's abs on his cock. How easy would it be to just grind his orgasm out on the amazing body of Natsu that had handed itself to him on a silver platter? How simple, to turn the boy over and fuck him, easily.  
    
    Gray heaved a heavy sigh, and lifted Natsu up, preparing to dress him and put him to bed.   
    
      
    
    **The One That Doesn't Count**  
    
    "Is this it, Gray? Is this how you want it?" Natsu asked, looking over his shoulder with a slight blush. In a spacious, romantically red room, lit only by candles, and furnished only by a king size bed, a mahogany wardrobe, and an armchair, Natsu presented himself to Gray, who stood before him, naked and aroused.   
    
    Natsu was turned away from Gray, bent naked over the bed, his ass pointed at Gray, an offer, an invitation. "Only if you want it," Natsu reiterated, soothingly.   
    
    Gray, still silent but moving on lust instead of thought, stepped forward. He placed a hand on either of Natsu's hips, and pressed his erection up to the crack of the Salamander's plump ass, sighing at the inviting tightness. Deciding to at least try to go ahead with this, Gray reached for the tube of lubricant on the bedside table, as his other hand explored the boy under him. He traced up Natsu's abs, and the Dragon Slayer purred at his touch. Gray planted a kiss on the back of Natsu's neck, and moved a hand up to touch his lips, passing the scar on Natsu's clavicle-  
    
    Except the scar that should be there, that Gray knew was exactly on the spot his hand had frozen, was not there.   
    
    The illusion shattered around him, and Gray dropped the lube, backed off of the man beneath him and sank into the armchair. "I'm sorry Shinya, I can't. It's not you, I just-"  
    
    "It has to be him," the man with Natsu's face spoke understandingly. In a flash of smoke, his face changed, the Fairy Tail mark on his shoulder ceased to be, his abs faded and he became leaner, and his hair turned to a white blond. A now entirely different naked man sat on the bed and frowned at Gray.   
    
    "You know Gray, I might have to change my slogan because of you. I'm no longer ' _Shinya: The Shapeshifter That Never Fails to Satisfy_ ', but ' _Shinya: The Shapeshifter That Only Failed to Satisfy That One Time_ '. Doesn't have the same ring to it."  
    
    "Sorry," Gray apologised quietly.   
    
    "So," Shinya went on with a small smile. "What gave me away? I thought I did a pretty spot on Natsu Dragneel."  
    
    "Scar... He has a scar on his neck."  
    
    "Tch, it's that scarf, couldn't find a picture of him without it," Shinya laughed. "When you requested this I went through every picture of him at the Magic Library and not a single one without the scarf. Not even _my_ Transformation Magic can make something I don't know."  
    
    "Sorry Shinya, I know you put in a lot of work."  
    
    "Pfft, stop apologising," the loveable whore chuckled. "Besides, you already booked the hour. We can still do it if you want. Anyone else you want me to be? I still remember how to do Lyon from your first time here. And I think I could find a picture of Siegrain if you want him again-"  
    
    "No," Gray cut across him. "No it- it _has_ to be him."  
    
    "Damn Gray, you've been coming to me, and in me, for three years now, and I've never seen you like this. You've liked this guy for a while, you told me about him before, but you would still fuck me then. Was it the onsen incident you told me happened a few months ago?"  
    
    Gray nodded, leaning back into the squishy armchair. Shinya lay on his side on the bed, in the classic _Paint-Me-Like-One-Of-Your-French-Girls_ position, as tastefully nude as was humanly possible, but Gray couldn't bring himself to want to fuck him. "It's just, I always knew I liked him, but I didn't think I had a shot til he said all that stuff while he was drunk. I mean, he might actually _like me back_." Gray's voice broke slightly at the last word, and it did not go unnoticed by Shinya, who looked at Gray sympathetically. He stood up and walked over to Gray. The Transformation Mage put his hand on the Ice Mage's shoulder, and while the seriousness was lessened slightly by their nudity, it was made up for by the determination in Shinya's eyes.   
    
    "You're going to tell him. At your guild's Halloween party next week."  
    
    " _What_?" Gray spluttered. "Why?! Why then?"  
    
    "Because you might as well do something scary on Halloween, Fullbuster, and confessions are as scary as they come," Shinya smirked slightly, but the encouragement was still there.  
    
    Gray took a steadying breath. Shinya was right, he always was. Sex workers are always surprisingly wise.   
    
    "Yeah. Yeah I will. Thanks," Gray smiled, standing up and fist bumping the whore that had become his best confidant.   
    
    "No problem. Now stand still for a second."  
    
    Shinya suddenly stared at Gray's chest with intense concentration, then his crotch. Gray blushed under his scrutiny. "Uh, Shinya...?"   
    
    "Got it, just needed the scars, don't wanna make that mistake twice," Shinya grinned, gesturing to the several scars and wounds on Gray's body. He smirked. "Funnily enough, my next client's requested Transformation is you."  
    
    "What?!"  
    
    "Don't act so shocked," Shinya giggled. "You're a popular request, you're in like the Top 5 Most Frequent. Sting and Rogue got you beat though." As Gray processed this information, Shinya steered him out of the room by the shoulders and gestured to door after a playful pat on Gray's ass. "Now go plan for your confession, I've gotta get ready."  
    
    "Wait I didn't pay you-"  
    
    "This one's on the house. Consider it your frequent flyer miles adding up," Shinya said in a lofty tone.  
    
    "What can I say? You're a good ride," Gray grinned devilishly.   
    
    "Hope Salamander can top me."  
    
    "Oh no," Gray corrected with a spark in his eyes. "If all goes as planned, he's not gonna be the one topping."  
    
      
    
    **The One That Changed Everything**    
    
    "HAVE YOU NO SOUL, MIRA?" roared the hungry dragon at the demon guarding his prey.   
    
    Mirajane spritzed Natsu with water from a spray bottle from behind the bar. "Natsu, I made it very clear that the food was only for everyone who wore a costume. In other words, everyone but you," Mira said, dressed in a stunning Corpse Bride outfit, gesturing around the guild hall as the Halloween party continued in full swing.   
    
    The place had an overwhelming smell of pumpkin and everything seemed to have an orange tint to it, but other than that the guild's only difference was the attire of its members.   
    
    Erza stole the show with her Satsuki Kiryuin, but Lucy's Rapunzel was no slouch either. Wendy had dressed up as Kiki of _Kiki's Delivery Service_ , Carla adorning her broomstick and granting it flight. Levy and a reluctant Gajeel wore Ravenclaw and Slytherin uniforms respectively, while Jet and Droy were stuck as Hufflepuffs. Elfman came as the Hulk, Lisanna as Wonder Woman. Cana had clearly cosplayed as Gildarts, despite her furious insistence that she was "Shanks", whoever that was. Laxus had aquired an interesting human costume of Scar, with the Raijin Tribe (proudly in Freed's case) posing as his hyenas. The Master had, hilariously, using his Titan Magic to assume the proper proportions, come to the party as teenage Laxus, complete with attitude, much to the Lightning Mage's chagrin.  
    
    Gray watched Natsu's pathetic begging with amusement from down the bar counter, but he was also combating his nerves. He had promised Shinya that he would confess to Natsu tonight, but suddenly he had no idea how to start a conversation with the Dragon Slayer. Gray had come in costume, having arrived covered head to toe with bandages, making a very convincing mummy with Juvia's help, who somehow found time for both him and her own Lapis Lazuli costume. This meant Gray had been permitted by Mira to take from the massive banquet table. Admittedly, most of his bandages and the torn pants he had been wearing over them had vanished over the course of the night, Gray being Gray, but it wasn't even his fault. Well, the pants weren't. A very drunk Loke, dressed in a host club uniform, had stolen Gray's pants, hoping the Ice Mage had neglected to put bandages on under them. Gray had luckily foreseen this, and was now covered only by a dwindling number of bandages where underwear should be. Oh well, Mira had seen him in costume and that's what mattered.   
    
    That meant that he could offer some food to Natsu, have the Dragon Slayer sit next to him and just talk, but unfortunately, Gray knew Mira wouldn't allow it until Natsu was in costume.   
    
    "Mira," Natsu, Gray was unsurprised to see, hadn't given up yet. "How can I get you to change your mind?"  
    
    Mira sighed. "Look, in the basement we've still got some costumes from Fantasia, if you can find a good costume down there, you can dig in."  
    
    "Alright!" Natsu leapt up with vigour. "Let's go Happy!" he yelled to his Exceed, who had dressed up as Plue, and darted down the stairs at the back of the guild to the basement. Gray watched him go longingly, unconsciously freezing his martini as he did so.   
    
    "You're being really obvious, you know."  
    
    Gray simply grunted. "Can I help you, Princess?"  
    
    Lucy laughed, pulling out a stool, carefully avoiding tangling her magical lengthened hair, and sitting next to Gray. "It's been a long time Gray," she said softly, but just loud enough for Gray to hear her over the party ruckus. "Do you ever plan on talking to him about it?"  
    
    Gray huffed. Lucy saw right through him, as always. "I do. I meant to tonight actually."  
    
    She paused, waiting for him to continue. "But?"  
    
    "But I'm nervous, obviously," Gray spat, bitterly, before sighing. "Sorry, I'm kinda stressed about this whole thing."  
    
    "It's fine, I get. So, how d'you think he'll take it?"  
    
    "He'll probably call me Ice Princess and punch me," Gray said ruefully. Lucy shrugged.   
    
    "I think he likes you more than you like to admit."  
    
    "I know, I know, the onsen-"  
    
    "No, I mean he's just as oblivious to how blatant he is as you are."  
    
    Gray turned to face Lucy, finally giving her his full attention, but saying nothing.   
    
    "You two are so alike you know. You know the way you look at him when he can't see you? How do you think he looks at you when you can't see him?"  
    
    Gray suddenly felt light-headed. "What do you-"  
    
    " _Gray_!"  
    
    He started and turned to find Erza, with Happy sitting on her head, staring at him.  
    
    "Natsu asked me to get you, he needs your opinion on his costume."  
    
    "Mine?" Gray questioned, dumbfounded.   
    
    "Yours. And hurry up, he wants it picked before all the food is gone."  
    
    "But-"  
    
    " _Now_!" Erza ordered, and Gray immediately darted up and sprinted across the guild to the stairs to the basement, dodging his drunken guildmates on the way.  
    
    "So did you talk to him?" Erza asked calmly, slipping into Gray's vacated barstool.   
    
    "Yeah, didn't get far though. How's Natsu?" Lucy replied.  
    
    "I think I got through to him to an extent," Titania said thoughtfully. "He looked like he had an idea when he asked me to get Gray. Now all we can do is wait."  
    
    "And hope," Lucy muttered.   
    
    "Aye," Happy mumbled quietly, looking at the staircase where Gray had vanished. Happy knew that Gray was the key to Natsu's happiness, and just hoped the two boys would realise that themselves. "I hope..."  
    
    Gray slipped through the door to the basement, closing it behind him. He regulated his breathing as he descended the stairs, desperate to be calm before he reached the dimly lit room at the bottom, where his crush was no doubt being cute, the bastard. When he hit the last step, his eyes were assaulted with the slightly dulled, but still colourful remains of the last Fantasia, seven years ago (Thanks Acnologia). As he wove his way through the floats to get to the costume rack, he smiled as he noticed the remains of he and Juvia's ice castle, impressed with them both that the float was still iced over after all this time. After nearly breaking his neck tripping over one of Lucy's pompoms, he arrived at the costumes, and at Natsu.   
    
    The pinkette stood with his back to Gray, seemingly not having notice his arrival, staring at the costumes lined up on the rack before him with great concentration, currently only clad in his boxers and looking _as hot as always that is not going to make this easier_. Taking a moment to regain his composure, Gray cleared his throat. "Yo, Natsu."  
    
    Natsu turned to him with a determined look, probably having smelled him coming. "Good, you came. Did Erza tell you-?"  
    
    "You wanted to show me your costume?" Gray finished for him, trying not to be distracted by Natsu's current attire.   
    
    Natsu nodded, gulping. "Uh, one second, I'll just put it on." And with great haste and an awkwardness that confused Gray, Natsu jumped behind a large float to change.  
    
    Gray stood where we was, unsure of whether to speak or not, and wondering what costume Natsu had chosen. Gray suddenly felt self-conscious about the state of his own costume, now reduced to a few barely-concealing bandages. He supposed that Sexy Mummy was better than no mummy at all, but he sincerely hoped that Natsu didn't completely outdo him.   
    
    "G-Gray?" a shockingly nervous voice spoke from behind the podium that Erza had done her sword dance upon at the last Fantasia. "I-I want you to close your eyes, okay?"  
    
    Gray was taken aback, but nodded. Upon remembering Natsu couldn't see him, he said "Okay, no problem," and shut his eyes.   
    
    As he pondered the inside of his eyelids, Gray wondered how he was gonna edge a quick "btw I love you", into this scenario. _Should I compliment his costume, get true love's bro-fist, and carry on with life filled with regret and bitterness? Sounds about right. Or maybe I can become an asexual hermit_ -  
    
    Miraculously, Gray lost the ability to think from that point on, as out of nowhere, the sensation of warm lips on his own overcame all other feeling. Gray froze, and dared not open his eyes, deathly afraid that he was dreaming. Then, a lifetime too early, the chaste kiss broke apart, and Gray dared to look.   
    
    Natsu stared at the floor in the short space between his feet and Gray's, face very red and body very naked.   
    
    "S-so?" he stammered, making the briefest of eye contact with the taller boy. "What do think?"  
    
    "Buh?" was all Gray could form.   
    
    "My costume!" Natsu gestured madly at his naked body with anger and embarrassment. "Don't you get it?" he faltered, face falling slightly when Gray managed to shake his head in a quick jerky moment.   
    
    Natsu looked like he would have rathered insult Acnologia's mother to his face than speak, but did so anyway.  
    
    "I'm- I'm _you_!"  
    
    Gray stared at him. Then he blinked at him. Then he smiled at him. Then he broke into hysterical laughter.   
    
    "It's not funny!" Natsu yelled, his blush spreading down his neck.   
    
    "I- I know," Gray choked out between bouts of laughter. "You're amazing," he said, after calming down to mere chuckles.   
    
    "But, uh," Natsu said, trying to compose a sentence. "How did you feel about- uh, what did you think of the, uh, me, and you, and the mouth thing-" Grinning wildly, Gray cut him off with a second kiss, this one far deeper, with more tongue and more touching, as Lusty Gray was allowed complete control for the first time in years. After a moment of shock, Natsu returned Gray's efforts, deepening the kiss, and grabbed the Ice Mage's bare ass - _wait when did the bandages ah screw it_ - with a hand per firm cheek, as Gray buried a hand in Natsu's hair, the other on his muscular chest. Their intense game of tonsil tennis was broken when their thoroughly neglected penises brushed one another and the two boys laughed into each other's mouths at the sheer absurdity of the situation before separating, _giggling. Fucking giggling. Like the kids we are_ , Gray thought fondly, as Natsu leaned his forehead on Gray's chest, still shakily slightly from laughter, Gray's hand still raking the soft, pink hair.   
    
    "You beat me to it," Gray told him, and Natsu straightened up to look at him questioningly. "I was gonna tell you tonight."  
    
    "Tell me what?" Natsu asked, although his small, knowing smile made it clear he just wanted to hear the words.  
    
    Gray rolled his eyes. "Do I have to say-"  
    
    " _Yes you have to say it_ ," the Salamander urged with such force that Gray couldn't tell him no.   
    
    "I love you, Flame-Brain," he smiled, pulling Natsu into a surprisingly non-sexual naked embrace, and Natsu bared his fangs in that smile of his that rivalled sunlight.   
    
    "So you really are my mate," he hummed contentedly.   
    
    "Your mate?" Gray asked, with a raised eyebrow.   
    
    "Igneel always said the only person that should ever see you naked is your mate, because being completely bare with someone else is an intimate experience. For some more than others," Natsu chuckled with a nod at the stripper before him. "So when you saw me at the river I was really upset that I got seen by someone other than my mate. When you saw me coming out of the shower a few years ago I started to suspect it might be you. I'd had a crush on you for a while without realising, to be honest," Natsu shrugged, and Gray continued smiling at him affectionately. "Erza's been bitching at me to do something about it for months."  
    
    Gray laughed. "I've had Lucy on my case for the last two years. Guess they know us better than we do."  
    
    "Yeah..." Natsu agreed, an undefinable emotion flitting across his face, before throwing a seductive smile up at Gray. "Y'know, we can't just wear the same outfit in public."  
    
    Gray felt a shiver from both deja vu and Natsu's warm breath on his neck. "It's a fashion faux pas," Gray agreed.   
    
    Natsu smirked. "Maybe we should go back to my place?"  
    
    "To get new outfits?" Gray asked playfully.   
    
    Natsu scoffed. "Come on Gray, it's not the first time you've seen me naked."


End file.
